Achieving Accountability Through Decentralization: Lessons for Integrated River Basin Management

While decentralization holds out the promise of increased flexibility and efficiency, the preconditions for realizing it are daunting. To draw lessons for productive decentralization in integrated river basin management, this paper surveys the dece...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Mody, Jyothsna
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, D.C. 2013
Subjects:	ADMINISTRATIVE DECENTRALIZATION BARGAINING POWER BASIN AUTHORITY CENTRAL AUTHORITY COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION DECENTRALIZATION EFFORTS DECENTRALIZATION PROCESS DECENTRALIZED STRUCTURES DRINKING WATER ECONOMIES OF SCALE EXPENDITURE POLICIES FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION IRRIGATION LOCAL GOVERNMENT LOCAL MONITORING MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES PRIVATE SECTOR PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY RIPARIAN STATES RIVER BASINS RURAL WATER RURAL WATER SUPPLY SANITATION SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION WATER ALLOCATION WATER DISTRIBUTION WATER LEGISLATION WATER MARKETS WATER PRICING WATER REQUIREMENTS WATER RIGHTS WATER SYSTEMS WATER USE WATER USE MANAGEMENT WATER USER ASSOCIATIONS WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABILITY ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES ALLOCATION OF WATER ASSETS AUDITING AUTHORITY BUREAUCRACY CAPACITY BUILDING CAPITAL MARKETS CATCHMENT AREA CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CENTRAL GOVERNMENTS CENTRAL TRANSFERS CITIZENS CONSTITUENCY CORRUPTION COUNCILS DECENTRALIZATION DECISION MAKING DECISION-MAKERS DECISION-MAKING DEVOLUTION DISCRIMINATION DISTRICTS DOWNSTREAM USERS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ELECTED OFFICIALS EMPLOYMENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP EXPENDITURE EXPENDITURES EXTERNALITIES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING FINANCIAL ANALYSIS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY FINANCIAL INFORMATION FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FISCAL FISCAL MANAGEMENT FLOOD CONTROL GARBAGE COLLECTION GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS HEALTH SERVICES HOUSING HUMAN RESOURCE HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES INCOME INSTITUTIONAL REFORM INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE JUDICIARY LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY LEGAL SYSTEM LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY LOCAL BODIES LOCAL COMMUNITIES LOCAL GOVERNMENT BUDGETING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS LOCAL TAX MANAGEMENT OF WATER MANAGING WATER RESOURCES MUNICIPALITIES NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS NATIONAL LEVEL NATIONAL POLICY NATIONS NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES PANCHAYATS PARASTATAL ORGANIZATIONS POLICY MAKERS POLITICIANS POLLUTION POLLUTION TAXES POSITIVE EXTERNALITIES PRICE CEILINGS PRICE DISCRIMINATION PRICE SETTING PRIVATE GOODS PRODUCERS PRODUCTIVITY PROPERTY RIGHTS PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION PUBLIC FUNDS PUBLIC GOODS PUBLIC MANAGEMENT PUBLIC OPINION PUBLIC SERVICE PUBLIC SERVICES QUALITY STANDARDS RECYCLING REDUCTION IN PUBLIC SPENDING REORGANIZATION REPRESENTATIVES RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REVENUE COLLECTION RIVER BASIN RIVER BASIN AUTHORITY RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT RIVERS SCARCE WATER SERVICE DELIVERY SERVICE PROVISION SOCIAL SECTORS SOLID WASTE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION STATE AGENCIES STATE GOVERNMENT STATE PLANNING SUPPLY TAXATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TRANSACTION COSTS TRANSPARENCY TRANSPORT UNEMPLOYMENT WASTE DISPOSAL WATER WATER MANAGEMENT WATER QUALITY WATER RATES WATER SECTOR WATER SUPPLY WATER USERS WATER USES
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2004/06/4965735/achieving-accountability-through-decentralization-lessons-integrated-river-basin-management http://hdl.handle.net/10986/14045

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Summary:	While decentralization holds out the promise of increased flexibility and efficiency, the preconditions for realizing it are daunting. To draw lessons for productive decentralization in integrated river basin management, this paper surveys the decentralization experience in education, health care, roads, irrigation, and public infrastructure services. Case studies reveal that the prime focus in the design of a decentralized structure must be accountability, based on principles of subsidiarity, transparency, and allocation of property rights. While some debates are sector-specific, others, such as the need for political and financial accountability, the related data requirements, educating stakeholders and potential beneficiaries of the new system, and ensuring effective participation are true of decentralization wherever it is to unfold. In turn, initial conditions and the adaptation of political leadership to suit the historical context determine the success of decentralization. Four issues demand high priority in integrated river basin management. These are (1) overcoming financial inadequacy at the local level; (2) commitment to upgrading skills, particularly management skills, while also ensuring that the expertise accumulated in central bureaucracies is not dissipated; (3) assuring pre-reform beneficiaries that their rights would be protected; and (4) sustaining a long-term commitment to an inevitably slow and drawn out decentralization process. The main conclusions of the literature survey caution those who believe that decentralization is, in itself, a solution to problems of inefficiency and inequity in developing countries. Tradeoffs and tensions need to be reconciled (such as economies of scale versus local monitoring and integrated management or interregional equity versus local control).

Achieving Accountability Through Decentralization: Lessons for Integrated River Basin Management

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